Diabetes and diabetic complications represent a major public health problem, affecting 25 million Americans. In particular, diabetes and diabetic nephropathy constitute a major cause of CKD which progressively develops to end-stage renal disease (ESRD); patients with ESRD typically require dialysis or a kidney transplant. Currently, PPARγ agonists, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), are effective antidiabetic agents but are associated with severe edema, body weight gain and cardiovascular events. Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which are widely used as anti-hypertensive agents, can help alleviate high blood pressure accompanying CKD but fail to stop the progression of CKD to ERSD. Indeed, in some instances, combination treatment with both an ACE inhibitor and an angiotensin receptor inhibitor has been shown to worsen major renal outcomes such as increasing serum creatinine and causing a greater decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate. Yusuf, S., et al., New England J. Med. (2008) 358 (15):1547-59.